Reciprocating power tools are well known in the art. Reciprocating tools are characterized by a back-and-forth type motion of a working piece such as a blade. The most commonly known reciprocating tool may be the reciprocating saw, where a cutting action is achieved through a reciprocating motion of a blade. The term “reciprocating saw” is often generically used to refer to any power saw which cuts with a back and forth motion, such as a saber saw, jigsaw, or scroll saws. Because of the reciprocating nature of the instrument, these power saws are high vibration instruments.
Many reciprocating saws, such as the saber saw and the jigsaw, include a handle or grip area on the main housing. The handle allows the user to easily position the saw in various orientations, including positions for horizontal work and vertical work. Opposite the handle is a blade with a “foot” or “shoe” at the base of the blade. The user rests the foot against the surface being cut and applies a force against the surface to stabilize the high vibration instrument. During cutting, the stabilization provided by the foot reduces the tendency of the blade to push away from or pull towards the cut as the blade travels through its cycle, thus allowing the blade to make a cleaner cut.
The foot of the saw is often adjustable relative to the blade. In these arrangements, the foot is typically configured to telescope in and out from the main body of the saw housing. A foot guide is provided which slideably attaches to the housing of the saw, allowing the foot to move toward and away from the saw housing. This adjustable action of the foot allows the user to control the depth of the cut made with the saw. The adjustable foot also makes it possible to evenly distribute wear on the blade.
When the foot of a reciprocating saw is adjustable, secure retention of the foot upon the main housing during cutting is desirable. However, the ability to securely retain the foot upon the saw is problematic in part because of the need to maintain tolerances between the mating components related to the adjustment mechanism, e.g., the foot guide and a bracket on the saw housing engaging the foot guide. In addition to the clearances required for operation of the adjustment mechanism, additional clearances are created between the components with use of the tool as the components wear over time. For example, when the saw blade becomes caught in a work piece, forces will be transferred to the components, and any looseness between the components accelerates wear.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a reciprocating tool having a support arrangement for an adjustable foot, where the support arrangement may be secured to the saw in such a way that clearances between components of the arrangement can be minimized, thus reducing wear on the components during operation of the saw. It would also be advantageous if such support arrangement could be easily adjusted such that the support arrangement may be properly secured to the reciprocating tool even after wear creates additional clearance between the components.